ST. PETERS, Mo. (KTVI) — They are law abiding citizens, but were evicted due to the suspected misdeeds of their neighbors. Affiliate KTVI’s Jeff Bernthal reports that Gordon Tomlinson, his fiance, grandchild and their dog have been forced to move to a hotel after a drug task force raided their duplex where neighbors were reportedly operating a methamphetamine lab.
Tomlinson told Bernthal the raid came as a surprise to him, he was playing cards when the dog alerted him to outside commotion. Commotion that included as many as 16 agents with their guns drawn, ready to carry out the raid.
The fallout has left Tomlinson and his family without many of their possessions, and worse yet, insurance won’t cover most of what he had to throw away. Tomlinson said their story can serve as a cautionary tale.
“I’m not going to say anything bad about the insurance company because they tried as hard as they could for me. It just wasn’t in my policy, I wasn’t covered for that,” Tomlinson told KTVI.
Police say it may be two-to-three weeks before the neighbors are criminally charged. The meth fumes they left behind have made moving back for Tomlinson and his family impossible, the toxins left can lead to serious respiratory problems.
